Naruto: The Lost Shinobi Clan
by MattOfAllTrades
Summary: This is a story about a clan who has a unique ability never seen in the Naruto universe. It will follow the events of the entire Naruto timeline and will follow several generations with each member having a different beginning and ending. This clan will have many comical, suspenseful, and action packed moments with a hint of romance.
1. The boy found in the woods

**Chapter 1- The boy found in the woods**

Deep in the times of the warring states period, the Uchiha clan was hired by a rising feudal lord to steal a scroll containing financial transactions from another rising rival. This man's goal was to gain knowledge of his rivals clients to either eliminate or convert his manpower and stock to his own control. The rival of this man was not ignorant of this plan, and he hired the Senju clan to prevent a loss of clients. The Senju clan sent a group of a dozen elite shinobi, Hashirama was the team leader of one half, while Tobirama lead the second.

As the two teams head to the interception point, Tobirama sensed a chakra signature nearby that didn't match a known shinobi clan.

Stopping the teams, he said to Hashirama, "There's a chakra signature near here that I don't recognize".

"Is it the only one you can sense?" Hashirama asked as he wonders whether or not it was a hired a mercenary shinobi to stall the Senju.

"Yes, but he's very young, seems to be a boy around five years old." Tobirama explained

"You think he's dangerous?"

"Very unlikely, although there's something strange about his chakra nature."

"What is it?"

"He seems to have three natures."

Hashirama wonders how to handle the situation, he decides he can either approach or avoid the boy.

"Do you think we should approach the boy?" he asks his brother.

"I don't see why, but we do have a mission and we've wasted enough time already."

Hashirama decides a boy with three natures is worth checking out, as the potential could be extremely useful.

"What are the three natures?" he asks Tobirama.

After a brief moment he responds, "Earth, fire, and water, with an equal balance between the three."

"Tobirama, I want you to take my squad to the interception zone."

"Alright, but you're going to catch up to us. Father won't be happy if we bring a threat back to the clan quarters."

"I might not be as bright as you, but even I know better than that. But on the other hand his potential could turn the tides."

"Alright, then I'll proceed with the mission."

Hashirama breaks off to investigate the child. He finds the boy by a stream eating a fish that appeared to be poorly cooked. The boy notices him and pulls out a battered kunai in defense.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to steal your fish. But I would like to ask how you cooked it." Hashirama attempts to calm the boy with a humorous approach.

The boy lowers his kunai but continues to stare for several seconds.

"I used my fire style ninjutsu." Answers the boy in a nonchalantly.

"Do you know any other ninjutsu?"

"I know a water ninjutsu in the water that makes fish close to the dirt come out of the water."

"I see, so then you get them with that kunai?"

"Yes, if I use my hand they might go back to the water."

"I see, but where are your parents?"

The boy pauses for a few minutes. "My mommy died when I was born." answers the boy.

"Where's your father?"

"My uncle told me he died doing something when I was a baby."

"And where's your uncle?"

"He told me to wait here until he came back. He gave me this." He gestures to the kunai. Hashirama looks over the boy's tattered clothes. He can tell that this boy has been alone for some time. It's obvious he was taught basic ninjutsu, but beyond simple swipes and stabs did it appear he knew basic combat.

"How long ago was this?" he asks the boy.

"A lot of days… this many." says the boy as he holds up all of his fingers with a sad expression. Hashirama could tell it was far more than ten days since this boy was abandoned. There was no reason to leave a boy in the woods alone. It was a miracle he survived this long without being killed by animals or other ninja.

"I'm sorry, I forgot to ask your name." the boy sits in silence looking at his kunai. Hashirama wonders if the boy even knows it. "I'm Hashirama Senju, have you heard of me?"

"No." the boy responds calmly.

"Ah, well what is your name?" Hashirama pauses wondering if this was the right question. "Do you know your name?"

"Mizuko..." answers the child. Off in the distance the sound of weapons clashing draws close to the stream where Hashirama and Mizuko sit.

"Come with me." says Hashirama as he hoists the boy onto his back piggy back style.

After a few short minutes Hashirama regroups with his brother whose armor is covered in splashes of blood. He notices there are only five men with Tobirama.

"Where are the others!?" asks Hashirama when he notices Tobirama with the scroll.

"They died in order to buy time for us to obtain the intel and escape." replies Tobirama with a stern voice. "They sent Izuna and a team of at least ten elite Uchiha in order to steal this scroll. If you were there the mission wouldn't have suffered so many casualties, especially at the hands of Izuna Uchiha."

Hashirama's face turns pained and dreaded. "I'm sorry I wasn't there.

But we need to help Mizuko find his uncle.

"Who the hell is Mizuko!? Is it this child!? Do you realize we lost half the men we left with!? We have far more important matters than helping find some bastard who leaves boys in the woods to die." Tobirama yells in a scolding tone.

"I refuse to leave a child so young to die in the woods. We will discuss this later."

"I wonder what Father will have to say about this." The other Senju move in silence the remainder of the journey back to the clan quarters.

When the Senju returned Tobirama returned to the clan leader Butsuma Senju. This man was also the father of both Hashirama and Tobirama.

"So the mission was successful." Butsuma stated calmly.

"Yes, but we lost half the team in the process." replies Tobirama.

"That is unfortunate, but there sacrifices aren't in vein as long as we stay ahead of the Uchiha. Although I understand Izuna Uchiha was team leader of the enemy forces. You two have always been evenly matched, but casualties could've been avoided with Hashirama's presence." states Butsuma.

Hashirama sat quietly with the weight of his decision. He sacrificed six elite shinobi for a five year old boy. He was surprised how quickly his father found out about Mizuko.

"So Hashirama, was this boy worth the loss of our Senju brothers?" Butsuma asks Hashirama.

"That's not what it was about, it was about leaving a boy in the woods to be killed." Hashirama replies with a harsh tone. "The loss of lives is always unfortunate, but the loss of youth is unbearable, children are those who decide the future of the shinobi world."

"I see." ended Butsuma.

"So what will become of the boy?" asked Tobirama

"That's Hashirama's decision." Butsuma bluntly states. "He's grown into a young man, it's time for him to learn to live with his decisions."

Hashirama pondered over this. He decided to visit Mizuko in the clan medical quarters. He walked through the doors and approached the head medical ninja. As he walked to her desk she smiled at him.

"Where's your brother?" she asks him.

"He's busy with developing a new technique. Where's the boy I brought in?"

"You mean the five year old, average height but tall for his age, dark brown hair, light brown eyes,"

"I'm familiar with his appearance, I'm the one who brought him in. What's his health condition?"

"He's underweight but not quite malnourished." the Doctor explains. "Would you like to see him now?"

"Yes if that's fine with you".

"He's in the second room right side."

"Thank you." Hashirama says as he heads to the room where Mizuko sat looking out the window. "How're you feeling?"

"The beds are soft and the food is warm. The nurses are nice… Do I have to go back to the water?" Mizuko asks with a frightened tone.

"You can stay here if you want. "

"Really!?" asks the boy with an excited expression.

"Yes, you can stay as long as you like." Hashirama smiles at the boy. "Actually I can bring you to your room if you want."

"Can we go now I really wanna see it."

"I'll be right back." Hashirama tells the boy as he leaves to go ask the nurse if Mizuko is ready to leave the medical quarters yet. He gets the confirmation and waits outside for Mizuko.

"Who am I going to live with?"

"You'll stay with my brother Tobirama for now."

"Oh. I want to stay with you Hashi." Mizuko states with disappointment.

"He'll make sure you're food is good and your bed is soft."

"But he doesn't look as nice as you Hashi, Tobi looks mean."

"Yeah he but he has a soft side. He can show you some really nice water style ninjutsu. He might be the best water style user in our clan." Hashirama tells Mizuko in a reassuring tone.

"Ok… but what's a clan?"

Hashirama thinks about this for several seconds.

"A clan is a group of people who are live together like a large family. Most of them become shinobi and learn ninjutsu to complete missions to earn money for their clan."

"What clan am I in?"

"That's up to you to decide."

The boy wipes his eyes after a pause. "I want to go to sleep."

"It is getting late, I'll take you to your new house."

Hashirama leads Mizuko to Tobirama's house. When they arrive Tobirama takes Mizuko to his room and shows him his bed.

"So I guess the boy is now my responsibility despite you bringing him here."

"Sorry about that. But you're the only one who can train his water style to its full potential."

"So how long am I going to play the role of his father?"

"As long as he needs you to be. He has no family or friends."

"Very well. But you will need to have a hand in his training as well. You are not going to just hand me this child completely."

"I intended to, but what do you think of his three natures?"

"I can train his water style, but the other two are beyond my abilities."

"Well we can focus on that later, training three natures at once is difficult even for the most elite."

"In any case it's time you head home too. Today's mission won't stop the Uchiha for long. We might have another mission by the end of this week."

Hashirama thought about what this new boy might bring to the world. He decided his work would be cut out for him and knew he needed to find someone to watch after Mizuko if anything ever happened to him or Tobirama. He had to keep the boys potential hidden from his father to avoid a waste of young life. But Hashirama went to bed fine that night.

* * *

 **Hashirama and his brother are around age 17 and 16 respectively. It is estimated that the Hidden leaf was founded around Hashirama's mid to late 20's.**


	2. The first mission, ready or not

**Chapter 2- The first mission, ready or not**

Mizuko enjoyed living with the Senju for the past two months. But he didn't enjoy seeing Hashirama and Tobirama return after missions always returning with less people they left with. After every mission Tobirama trained him harder and harder. He was becoming very skilled in the art of shinobi combat. His water style abilities are far beyond basic fishing. His rate of growth and skill was raising eyes amongst the Senju.

"Mizuko is progressing nicely." Tobirama tells his with an almost prideful voice. "But we're not making as much money as we need to. Mizuko needs to be given a basic mission to soften the deficit."

"He may be getting strong quickly but is he really ready to face a full fledged shinobi?" Hashirama asks Tobirama with concern.

"He's not technically a Senju, we don't have to send him against well known clans. But we do need him to start getting combat experience."

"So what do you suggest?"

"We can get him a job as a freelancer. They don't get paid very well but they don't have to fight any of the more powerful clans."

Hashirama considered this. Mizuko had no official combat experience, but the clan did need continuous income of mass amounts of money to fund the amount of combat they see. The Senju spared no expense to stay tied with the Uchiha, but neither did there enemy. Mizuko could bring extra income without being tied to the Senju.

"Fine, but I want to spar with him first." Hashirama decides to personally test Mizuko's readiness for combat.

Mizuko is sitting on the back porch sharpening his blade when he hears footsteps approaching. He turns around to see Hashirama with two swords.

"Hashirama! Did you come here to train with me!?" Mizuko asks excitedly.

"I did in fact, I'm here to see if you've gotten as strong as Tobirama says you are." Hashirama gives Mizuko a warm smile as he hands him a katana.

"You better watch your guard, I don't want to hurt you Hashi."

Hashirama laughs but is interrupted by a rushing slash by Mizuko.

"You didn't give me time to draw my blade." Hashirama says in a half scolding tone.

"Waiting for the enemy to draw their blade is a sign of weakness."

"It's also a sign of mutual respect and honor."

"Sometimes there is no room for honor to save the lives of your comrades."

Hashirama knew this was a very sad true statement, but he wished Tobirama left this out of Mizuko's training. But if he didn't, Mizuko would be ill prepared for actual combat. But the child he was sparring against left no room for error, he was staying on an impressive defense, but given the chance he quickly turned the tides. He might not be ready to fight against an Uchiha, but after training under Tobirama he was more than capable of most freelancing shinobi. It was possible he might even be able to take on more than one at a time.

"You learned well Mizuko. I enjoyed sparring with you today."

"You too Hashi." Mizuko asks as Hashirama sheathes his blade. "When's my first mission?"

"Soon, very soon." With that Hashirama took his leave to go find a mission for Mizuko.

Mizuko was excited yet very nervous. He didn't know if he was going to succeed or not. But he was determined to help the family that took him in. He decided to head over to the medical quarters for ointment in case of an injury.

There he saw the Head Medic's daughter, Sahira Senju. She was around the same age as Mizuko and was always nice to him.

"Hey Mizuko, how was training today?"

"Hey Sahira, it was fun. I got to train with Hashirama… My first mission is soon."

"Against Uchiha!?" Sahira exclaimed in a worried tone. She knew as the daughter of the Head Medic what the casualty rates were.

"I don't know yet. But if I do I'm ready to put down my life for Tobirama."

"I'm sorry. I wish I could be with you. But Mother says I need to focus more on how to make ointments and foodpills."

"It's ok, but I want some of the best ointment you have."

"That's expensive, how're you gonna pay for it?"

"I'm sure I can get some money from Tobirama."

"I hope so."

Mizuko walks into the medical quarters. The Head Medic smiles as he approaches her desk.

"Is everything ok Mizuko?" she asks in a caring voice.

"Yeah I just want the very best ointment for my first mission."

"Oh you're starting to go on missions now?

"Yes but I want to be ready."

"Well I'll let you have this first jar free, but in the future you'll have to pay for it."

"Yes ma'am. Thank you very much. Have a good day." Mizuko says as he runs home to get his gear ready for his mission the next day. When he arrives he gets together his combat armor and his tools together. When He finishes he visits Butsuma to receive his mission details.

"You have been hired to protect a small time trader as he heads to a town several hours away. The resistance should be light but be prepared for any situation. You leave in the morning at dawn." Butsuma ends as he waves for Mizuko to leave the room.

As he heads home Mizuko wonders how much money he's going to make. He wishes he wouldn't have to go alone. He wishes Hashirama or Tobirama could come with him. But they were two of the clans strongest. Mizuko vowed to get stronger so he could protect those two for the life they've given him. He decided nearly 100% of his pay would go to the Senju treasury. This was what he decided would be the best way to help his home. He got in bed thinking about going on missions to fight elite clans in the future. He yearned and dreaded the day that would come. He fell asleep thinking about being the most powerful ninja ever.

Mizuko woke up a little early the next morning and decided to head to his client early. The client's house was a house in poor condition in the middle of a town in even worse shape. He seemed to be one of the more wealthy members of this community. It was no wonder he needed protection. He lived in one of the poorest towns in the Land of Fire. He knocked on the door to wake the man up. But the hollow echo in the air sent chills up his spine. He placed his hand on the handle over his shoulder. The door of the merchant's home opened slowly.

"Are you my protection for the day?" asked the merchant.

"Yes." Replies Mizuko.

"You're here."

"I thought it would be easier to leave before sunrise and be back before sunset." Mizuko explains.

"Good thinking kid, just give a few minutes to gather my merchandise."

Mizuko waited while the man did so. Very few people left their houses. The only ones who did were men who looked like they could protect themselves. No women or children came out. Mizuko wondered if they could in a place like this.

"I'm ready." Says the merchant as he begins pulling his barrow.

Mizuko stood behind the man at all times. The man's merchandise didn't look very valuable and he thought the lack of women and children odd.

"Does your town have women and children?" Mizuko asked the merchant.

"Yes but they rarely leave their houses. The rate of crime is very high in my town. Women and children get kidnapped very often. They're never seen again. Only bulky men ever leave their families houses only leaving the oldest son to guard the houses." The man explains.

"That's sad. But why didn't anyone try to abduct me?"

"You're a shinobi clad in weapons with a sword on your back."

"Then why don't they just give all the men armor and weapons."

"Because my village simply can't afford it. I'm the richest man in my village. I barely have enough to feed my wife."

"You have a wife, why not kids?" the merchant was still young and very toned from carrying his cargo from town to town.

"Because I wouldn't be able to feed them and my wife lives in her hometown not too far from here until I can buy us a home not too far from here."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Mizuko felt bad that while a select few elite clans prospered, those who couldn't afford elite ninja suffered in poverty. But there was little he could do about it. He realized something. The woods around him were dreadfully quiet. Could his conversation have took his mind off of listening for enemies? His train of thought was disrupted as there was a rustle and then a man lunged from the trees above. Mizuko jumped forward to block the attacker. As he locked blades with this man, another jumped from the other side of the clearing.

"WATER STYLE: WATER LAZER JUTSU!" Mizuko yelled as a high pressure stream of water rushed from his mouth into the chest of the man he was in a blade lock with. He turned around as the man smashed into a tree as the pressure broke his ribs. The other man was briefly surprised but tried to kill the merchant with ninjutsu.

"FIRE STYLE: BURNING FUNERAL!" The second shinobi yelled releasing a small but intense ball of flames hurling at Mizuko.

"WATER STYLE: WATER WALL!" yelled Mizuko as he dashed in front of the merchant. However his water wall taught to him by Tobirama was much smaller than his master's. The fireball's remnants managed to burn Mizuko's hands and face although his armor blocked the rest of the attack. Mizuko used the steam to lunge with his sword forward into the man's chest. The man suffered a mortal

injury but managed to slash Mizuko. The armor again blocked the majority of the damage leaving only a minor cut into his chest plate, but his left arm had a cut at least half a centimeter deep. The man dropped dead with a surprised look on his face. But Mizuko had no time to waste, he immediately pulled out his ointment and applied it to his cut and his burned areas. The ointment was made by the best medic in the Senju clan, it stopped bleeding, cooled burns, and even shortened the paralysis of lightning natured injuries. It wasn't going to be cheap to replace, so he used as little as possible. These two men were only minor shinobi looking to make money off of anyone traveling this path. The man stopped to take a loaf of bread out of one of his baskets.

"Here, thanks for saving me. You sure you alright?"

"Yes, I was trained for this, don't worry about me. Thanks for the bread." Mizuko ate it very quickly. Using his two strongest ninjutsu wore him out and left him snackish. He didn't have enough experience yet to actually fight for extended periods of time. If there were more bandits, he wouldn't be able to react as fast. He kept all five of his senses open for several hours. Eventually a gate with two watchtowers stood in the distance bearing a clan symbol on the gate.

"This is the place I'll be staying in for while."

"Those are shinobi by those watchtowers."

"They are, their of the Shimura clan. My wife lives here, I'm going to give my services to the men of this fine clan in return of a place to live. Here I can have a family."

"So that's why we haven't encountered any enemies for several hours."

"Yes, there are Shimura all around us. Bandits don't come within miles of here."

"What about your hometown?"

"I gave my house to the man I told to lead the town. He is going to organize a security group, I left him all of my money."

"Then whose paying me?"

As Mizuko said this a man with armor and a tanto across his back handed him a very heavy coin purse.

"My sister thanks you for escorting her husband to us."

"It's no problem. But why couldn't you guys do it?"

"Most of our best fighters are off on missions to fill our treasury, although the Senju stole some of our clients recently. Anyway thanks again for my brother-in-law." The man said as him and the merchant went into the gates that closed behind him.

He began to head home immediately, but he took a route which was dotted with middle class towns to avoid trouble. He got home an hour after nightfall. He went straight to Butsuma. Butsuma waved him in and began counting the money in the purse.

"You were paid 2,000 ryo. You can keep up to 90%. But you'll need about 100 to repair your armor."

Mizuko took 200 ryo out the purse and gave the rest to Butsuma.

"There are others who have armor more broken than mine. I want the rest of this to go to the treasury."

"Very noble of you." Butsuma was proud of the boy for his decision. "How many enemies did you face today."

"Only two."

"Where are they now, after you forced them to flee?"

"They didn't flee, I killed them."

"I see. But who paid you all this money?"

"A shinobi of the Shimura clan."

"The Shimura eh. It's a good thing you don't bear an emblem. We recently took a few of their clients. They might've killed you. In any case you should head home. You need your rest, I'll let you choose your own missions from now on."

Mizuko head home quickly to tell Tobirama the results of his mission. However Tobirama wasn't home. He went straight to Hashirama's house to see if Tobirama was there. Mizuko knocked loudly on the door. Hashirama opened it soon after. Tobirama was standing in the room a few feet behind him.

"So how did the mission go, I see you have a few light injuries?" Hashirama asked warmly.

"It went fine, I made the clan almost 2,000 ryo and managed to make kill two enemy who attacked the man I was protecting." Mizuko explains.

"You suffered several injuries, if it weren't for your ointment you might've died of blood loss." Tobirama said with a strict tone. "Did they attack separately or as a team?"

"They went one at a time." Mizuko said lowly.

"I see. Your first mission was a success, but I will need to put more time into your training. This training will be to better your swordsmanship and your endurance with ninjutsu." Tobirama told the young shinobi.

That night Mizuko went to bed earlier than normal, he was fatigued from his first mission. He was going to get stronger, so he never had to see Tobirama disappointed in him again, and to protect him and Hashirama.


	3. A name for himself

**Chapter 3- A name for himself**

Over the past three years Mizuko completed over one hundred missions. His training with Tobirama, Hashirama, and several other Senju shinobi tuned his reflexes and increased his endurance to the point where he was completing missions against up to five enemy shinobi without injury. His abilities with water style techniques began to rival Tobirama's at that age. He had also became very adept at earth style training under Butsuma, although he didn't train as much with him as Tobirama. Mizuko also added nearly 500,000 ryo to the Senju clan treasury total. His contributions were giving him respect amongst the Senju, but his allegiance became known when he became the target of a member of the Inuzuka clan. The hunter tracked him until he was within 100 meters of the Senju clan quarters. His mission couldn't be completed as attacking this place was suicide. Senju clan sensory ninja sensed him and pursued. After being captured he gave the description of his target. It fit Mizuko to the teeth. They let this man live only after taking all of his ninja tools and killing his ninja hound. With Mizuko's affiliation known, he could no longer be a mercenary ninja. Butsuma decided that Mizuko accompany Tobirama on his next mission.

"So all the Land of Fire knows you fight for the Senju, you'll become a target of our enemies." Sahira stated warily to Mizuko. The two had started to become quite close as Mizuko was always in need of ointment refills.

"Yeah I guess I am. But I'm strong, you don't need to worry about me." Mizuko tells Sahira reassuringly. Sahira had become his best friend. He didn't spend much time with the other children of the Senju.  
"Don't die on me, promise you won't get killed like so many of my clansmen." Sahira demanded of the young warrior.

"I promise." But this threw Mizuko into a depressed mood. He was ready to die for the two men that saved him. But he was a target because he fought for the Senju. He wasn't a Senju. This was something that occurred to him much more often every day. He had no clan. He was just Mizuko. He could barely remember the uncle that left him.

"There you two are, I was wondering what you were doing." Hashirama says as he finds the two children. "Sahira, your mother is looking for you, it's about time you learned medical remedies. Good luck with that though."

"Thanks Mr. Hashirama, and see you later Mizuko." Sahira waved as she ran towards the medical quarters.

"Mizuko, I want to share something with you."

"What is it?"

"I have a dream. That one day we can stop endless conflicts."

"What do you mean?"

"For as long as there's been ninja, there's been endless battles fought between the different clans that dwell in these great lands. Every member of the clan risks their lives on missions to further the strength and power of their clan. This causes death every day. Children are not exempt from this. Many die not knowing the changes of the body. Many die before they fully understand what they fight for. I dream that one day children will stop being sent to the front lines of battle. I only dream of creating a land where people born of other clans weren't each others' enemies. Do you understand what I mean?"

Mizuko did understand. He had faced a few children on missions with their father. He had to kill them both with equal force. Some of his kills were around his age.

"Yes, It's sad."

"It is indeed."

Mizuko understood why Hashirama was telling him this. Mizuko would soon be a child fighting on the front lines to further the goals of the Senju. He already knew of clan members being killed just for bearing a certain surname. He hated how this always resulted in more needless death. He knew that the Senju accepted so many interception jobs just to fight the Uchiha, not once had he heard of a mission against them have been denied.

"Anyway Mizuko, your first mission with Tobirama is the day after tomorrow. I'll leave you to get your rest." And with that Hashirama left Mizuko for the to do whatever for the rest of the day.

Mizuko decided he wouldn't be a member of the Senju clan. But he would serve Hashirama and Tobirama to the death. He went for a walk as he thought of a clan name. He thought about it all afternoon and as he went back inside his house he sat next to Tobirama on the back patio.  
"What do you think of the name Kokuaki?" Mizuko asked curiously.

"It's an okay name, but what's the name for?"

"I was going to start a clan, I don't want to be a Senju. But I will fight for them for as long as I live."

"Well, that's fine by me. Mizuko Kokuaki eh. Maybe one day your clan will be a force to be reckoned with."

"Thanks Tobirama, for understanding."

"It's not a problem, but are you ready for our first mission together?"

"I'm very ready, I've never had a team before."

"Just be ready to block anything aimed at me and you'll do fine."

Mizuko went to bed shortly after this conversation. He went to bed Mizuko Kokuaki. He had a name now, and he also had a clan now. He slept very good that night knowing he had his own name.

The next day he decided to practice his fire style. He was surprised to see that he could produce a decently intense but small in size ball of flames. He figured his overall chakra control is what made this possible. But his water style had to quickly be applied to the trees which the fireball hit. He didn't have any nonflammable targets to practice on. He could have made a rock wall but that would've left him with less chakra to train with and he'd drain himself a lot faster.

"Nice fireball, you going to make another one?" asked Hashirama as he was watching Mizuko make his first fireball in years.

"I don't know, I don't have a way to not light the forest on fire."

"I could make a thick wall of wood away from the trees for you to use."

"Thanks, that'll save me a lot of chakra."

Hashirama created a wood wall nearly twenty feet tall and fifteen feet wide. Mizuko created another fire ball but it was the same size as his previous one. Mizuko tried again and again for nearly four hours but only managed to increase the size slightly. Tobirama approached them with a proud look on his face. He was ready for Mizuko to go on his first mission with him and the elites.

"How's today's training going?" Tobirama asked Mizuko and his brother.

"Splendidly, Mizuko's chakra control exercises are going along greatly."

"I was working on my fire style but I don't know if I'm that good at self teaching. If only we had some fire style users in our clan." Mizuko wanted to be stronger. He needed strength to start his own clan. He didn't even have his own house. However he noticed Tobirama's expression change.

"Hashirama our father has an important matter to discuss with you."

"Alright, is it happening again?"

"Yes."

Hashirama's face changed to match his brother's expression. He left for Butsuma's house. Tobirama turned to face him.

"I'll be back, I have to go check the armory. You'll have to make yourself dinner tonight."

Mizuko hated when this happened. He knew a clan battle was coming up. These were battles waged between rival clans to determine the strongest between them. The Uchiha and Senju had these rivaling competitions every couple of years, but the last one was only about a year and a couple of months ago. The clan had barely recovered from the last. Mizuko was a big help but he couldn't replace the veteran elites that died last time. It wasn't uncommon for children to fight in clan battles, but the casualty rate was high. This caused severe hatred for the clan that killed these children. Mizuko was heavily devoted to helping Hashirama achieve his goal of peace. As Mizuko thought about where to build his first house Sahira approached him.

"Mizuko! Butsuma wishes to see you right now!" Sahira looked worried. It looked like she was about to lose her best friend.

"What's wrong?"  
"My mother's going to be in tomorrow's clan battle! She won't have proper protection! Something might happen to her! What will I do if she dies!?" She buried herself in Mizuko's arms.

"It'll be ok, I'm sure Hashirama or Tobirama will be able to protect her."

"No, they'll be busy fighting Madara or Izuna."

"Don't worry, they can't let somebody as important her die, she's the best medical ninja we have." Sahira pulls away from Mizuko.

"Butsuma needs to see you." With this she wiped her eyes and left for her house.

Mizuko went to Butsuma as quickly as he could. He wondered why he would have a mission right before a clan battle, the last two he was a stationed as a guard to protect those who stayed behind.

"What do you need of me Lord Butsuma?"

"Mizuko, tomorrow we have a clan battle with the Uchiha. We lack in elite veteran shinobi. I need you to participate tomorrow. I'll let you choose what position you want to be in. Vanguard, which is where the strongest will be, midguard, which is the backup for the vanguard and those that defend the rearguard, which are those that defend the routes to the clan's quarters and our medical ninja. Which do you choose?"

Mizuko didn't know which to choose. He didn't have enough combat prowess for the vanguard, he didn't want to let people die by choosing the rearguard.

"I'll be in the midguard. Thanks for choosing me to be there."

"Mizuko your devotion to the Senju will never be forgotten. If you die tomorrow, you will die a hero in the history of our clan. You need to start preparing for tomorrow. Goodnight."

Mizuko was honored by what the clan leader told him. But he had no intention of dying tomorrow on the battlefield that claimed so many lives. He got to the armory to see it was filled to the brim with his allies. Nearly every Senju was there. Even some younger that were younger than he was. They were all gathering weapons and armor so the battle could begin as soon as the sun came up. This was the first time he saw this. He started to get nervous as he wondered how many would die this time. He hoped he wouldn't be one of the casualties. He saw Hashirama and Tobirama exit together. Hashirama looked to him.

"So you've heard the news?"

"Yes."

"What position are you going to be in?" asked Tobirama.

"Midguard."

"That's better than the vanguard." Hashirama added. "Just make sure to stay away from the major battles, and you'll do fine."

"Now head home and get some rest." Tobirama said worryingly.

Hashirama headed home to do the same. As he walked home Tobirama dreaded the fact Mizuko had to participate in tomorrow's battle. Mizuko had become his pride. Mizuko was like a son to him. He would have to waste no time with Izuna in order to protect him. As he got home he ate ramen Sahira brought and went to bed.

The next morning Mizuko set out for battle with his Senju comrades. They were expected to meet the Uchiha in a very open area with trees outlining it. This was to hide clan medics as well as to provide a full retreat if necessary. The medical unit stopped a kilometer before the opening. About 300 Senju were on route to battle a group of Uchiha of equal size. There was no room for error on battlefield, as he had to watch out for his comrades.

In the center the clan heads collided. Trees and water appeared to combat large fireballs. The battle had begun so quickly. Mizuko was surprised to see literally seconds in it was already so intense of a warzone. He dove to the right just to avoid a wave of shuriken coming his way. The attacker swung his sword which Mizuko barely had time to block. Mizuko attempted to parry but was easily blocked. This man was no mercenary ninja, he was an Uchiha with a fully matured Sharingan. The man used a large fireball in an attempt to wipe out the young boy, but Mizuko blocked with a small earth wall, he dove to the left and attempted to use his water bullet but the man anticipated his attack. This was a battle Mizuko couldn't win with tactics he used on his previous opponents. But he heard a fierce battle being fought in the direction of the Senju medical tents. Mizuko had to finish his opponent quickly. He used a fireball to surprise his opponent but was blocked with one larger. He put all of his power into a water bullet that shot straight through the smoke. He couldn't see for several seconds, but he assumed the man was dead so he turned and moved as fast as he could for the medics.

The sight he saw horrified him. Several medics were dead. There were bodies everywhere. At least half of the tents had been destroyed. He rushed to the one in the back. The guards posted outside the tent had all been killed, but took a few enemies with them. Mizuko entered the tent to see Sahira's mother with a tanto in her back as she crawled away from a man who pulled out a kunai to finish the job and presumably kill any wounded who attempted to come here. Mizuko looked at the woman who had become the closest thing he ever had to a mother. The woman who was always kind to him and cooked for him after missions. The woman who always gave him discounts on the most expensive medical supplies. She was the single mother of his best friend. Sahira was orphaned now. Because of this man, this man who killed her with a smile. This man would not be forgiven. This man would pay for his actions in blood.

Mizuko's sword began to feel heavy as he burned and froze inside. A jagged metal began to cover the tip and the blade of his sword. Mizuko screamed as he lunged towards the man. The man chuckled as he blocked effortlessly. But he didn't block. Mizuko's blade went straight through his opponent's and through his chest. The man coughed a heavy amount of blood onto Mizuko's feet. When he pulled his blade out the man fell to his knees in complete surprise. Mizuko looked at his blade. It's cutting power and weight increased. This blending of the three natures took a heavy toll on his chakra. He needed to continue fighting though. He was needed.

Mizuko killed several Uchiha with his new abilities. But the augmented blade had to be repaired after every few blades it cut through. This turned out to be very taxing on his chakra, and wasn't always an instantaneous process. It seemed to take longer to form the more he used it. But he had to keep fighting to end this battle, as winning was the only way to stop the bloodshed. After several hours he heard the horn to retreat. But the strange thing was it came from both sides. He immediately went to assist in making sure the remaining medics made it back safely. They had lost a third of their medical ninja including the Head. When they returned Mizuko waited for the leaders to arrive. Hashirama and Tobirama walked inside the gate with very somber expressions. Butsuma was nowhere to be seen. The Senju clan had lost two-fifths of their numbers. Tajima Uchiha had also been killed. It seemed the two men killed each other as they drove their blades into each other.

"Where's my mother?" Sahira asked Hashirama.

"She died on the battlefield." Hashirama replied with regret.

Sahira looked devastated. But was somehow prepared for the worst. It was almost like she knew this would happen. A tear ran down Mizuko's face as he realized she was alone. Everyone prepared for the funeral services. Mizuko went home to sleep today's horrors off. Only to have the worst nightmares he's ever had in his life.


End file.
